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Chicken FAQs
These are some of the most commonly asked questions about chickens. If you have a question, please state it in the comments. 'Q:' Do you need a rooster to have hens laying eggs? *'A:' No. A rooster is not required for the hens to lay eggs. Hens will lay whether their eggs are fertilized or not. On the other hand, there are many benefits to having a rooster. The fact that a chicken egg has been fertilized has absolutely no affect on it's taste, and as long as the egg hasn't been brooded for more than 24 hours or so, there is no embryo growing in it, making it safe to eat even for vegetarians. Also, having a rooster means that you can let the hens have chicks, and not have to buy them from a hatchery anymore. Lastly, one of the most important arguments for keeping a rooster is that many, many roosters are killed simply because they aren't wanted. Millions are killed in hatcheries alone, because the demand for pullets is much greater than for rooster chicks. Keeping one or more will save them from that fate. 'Q:' Can I keep chickens in town? *'A:' Although many towns and cities allow the keeping of chickens within the city limits, it is against the ordinance of some, so the best thing to do is check with your local zoning and health boards first. Some cities and towns have laws against keeping roosters, due to the "noise", but any of these laws can be changed with a little effort and help in the form of, for example, a petition. 'Q:' I want to get pet chickens: how much care do they require? *'A:' Chickens are quite 'low-maintenance' pets and generally require less care than the average dog. The basics a chicken needs is: : - Good housing that will keep out the weather and be warm enough in winter. This housing can be quite simple as long as it stays dry and is protected from wind and predators inside. Include egg boxes if you have laying hens. The coop should be cleaned out monthly, and clean litter added. Chicken dung creates a great, free fertilizer. If you use the deep litter method, add more litter as needed. : - Proper fencing to keep them out of the places you don't want them, and to protect them from predators if necessary. Many 'town chickens' are simply kept in the fenced yard, although their wing feathers may have to be clipped to keep them flying over the fence. : - Good feed and clean water. : - Daily checks to collect eggs and make sure the chickens have enough food and water. If there are predators where you live, close the coop in the evening and open first thing in the morning. : - Space to roam with dirt to dustbathe and scratch in and safe plants, such as grass, to eat. : - If you want them as tame pets, TLC and attention. 'Q:' Do I need to have more than one chicken? *'A:' Yes. Chickens have a strong social structure and will not do well unless they have at least ''one other chicken around. 'Q:' Are chickens dumb? *'A:' No. Anyone who has chickens and really observes them knows that they are much more intelligent than most people give them credit for, even those people who observe them in a very scientific way and don't anthropomorphise. Chickens have a complex social structure and countless different behaviors. See: The category on chicken behavior (note: much more info and articles will be added about this topic. Please help the wiki grow by editing or creating a page). It's hard to judge the scale of intelligence of any non-human animal, especially if you're comparing them to humans, as many animals are so different and think in such a different way than humans that comparing them and judging them against human intelligence is very inaccurate. 'Q:' Can chickens fly? *'A:''' Technically, yes, although most are incapable of sustaining flight for long. The ancestor of domestic chickens, the red jungle fowl, can easily fly to the tops of trees, although they are mostly ground-dwellers and don't have a need for sustaining flight for long. So they don't fly in the way that birds such as pigeons, sparrows, ravens, and the like fly. It's believed that domestic chickens hundreds of years ago were much lighter and much better at flying, but over the years chickens have been bred to be heavier and heavier. As a general rule, the smaller and lighter the chicken, the better and farther they can fly. Small, light varieties such as bantams can fly quite far, easily flying over tall fences. For that very reason, the flight feathers on one or both wings are periodically clipped (which is as painless as cutting your hair), if the chicken is flying over fences that it shouldn't be. Even with their wing feathers clipped though, small, light bantams can often still fly over fences, so normally only the feathers of one wing are clipped, throwing the chicken off balance when (s)he tries to fly. Category:General chicken information Category:Community